TED Talks

As described in our vision and operating principles, IRMA works to put information in context, create new knowledge that
challenges conventional wisdom, and proactively engage in institutional improvement by providing best-practice research,
analysis and data management that enables organizational learning - in other works, to support DePaul as a learning organization.
Shared learning experiences like TED talks that build competencies in such areas as systems thinking, contextualizing, innovative
thinking, and content mastery are important to this effort.

At
TEDxGöteborg, scientific visualization expert Anders Ynnerman shows us
sophisticated new tools - like virtual autopsies - for analyzing the
myriad of data, and a glimpse at some sci-fi sounding medical
technologies in development.

Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures
that humans can use. Selecting for high performing genes through
directed evolution, she's produced viruses that can produce powerful new
batteries, clean hydrogen fuel, etc.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western
societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz's estimation, choice has made
us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.

Barry Schwartz dives into the question "How do we do the right thing?"
With help from collaborator Kenneth Sharpe, he shares stories that
illustrate the difference between following the rules and truly choosing
wisely.

Sue's pick is by Doctor and epidemiologist Ben Goldacre who shows us, at
high speed, the ways evidence can be distorted, from the blindingly
abvious nutrition claims to the very subtle tricks of the pharmaceutical
industry.

Karolynn's pick is timely due to the first snow storm this year which
follows Arctic explorer Ben Saunders as he recounts his harrowing solo
ski trek to the North Pole, complete with engaging anecdotes, gorgeous
photos, and never-before-seen video.

Alim's choice is a talk by the mathematics legend Benoit Mandelbrot. He
discusses the extreme complexity of roughness, and the way that fractal math can find order within patterns that seem unknowably complicated.

Karolynn's pick is from the Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story
of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we
hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a
critical misunderstanding.

TED's Chris Anderson says the rise of web video is driving a worldwide
phenomenon he calls Crowd Accelerated Innovation -- a self-fueling cycle
of learning that could be as significant as the invention of print.

Christien Meindertsma, author of "Pig 05049" looks at the astonishing
afterlife of the ordinary pig, parts of which make their way into at
least 185 non-pork products, from bullets to artificial hearts.

Clay Shirky looks at "cognitive surplus" -- the shared, online work we
do with our spare brain cycles. While we're busy editing Wikipedia,
posting to Ushahidi (and yes, making LOLcats), we're building a better,
more cooperative world.

Clifford Stoll captivates his audience with a wildly energetic
sprinkling of anecdotes, observations, asides -- and even a science
experiment. After all, by his own definition, he's a scientist: "Once I
do something, I want to do something else."

Joe's pick is from behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of
Predictably Irrational, uses classic visual illusions and his own
counterintuitive (and sometimes shocking) research findings to show how
we're not as rational as we think when we make decisions.

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with
a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional
rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating
stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

Tapping into the findings of his latest book, NYTimes columnist David
Brooks unpacks new insights into human nature from the cognitive
sciences -- insights with massive implications for economics and
politics as well as our own self-knowledge.

David McCandless turns complex data sets into beautiful, simple diagrams
that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he
suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut -- and it may
just change the way we see the world.

After hitting on a brilliant new life plan, our first instinct is to
tell someone, but Derek Sivers says it's better to keep goals secret. He
presents research stretching as far back as the 1920s to show why people
who talk about their ambitions may be less likely to achieve them.

Eythor Bender of Berkeley Bionics brings onstage two amazing
exoskeletons, HULC and eLEGS -- robotic add-ons that could one day allow
a human to carry 200 pounds without tiring, or allow a wheelchair user
to stand and walk.

Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts
of images and data online. It enables spectacular zooms in and out of
web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in
standard web browsing.

Talking at the US State Department this summer, Hans Rosling uses his
fascinating data-bubble software to burst myths about the developing
world. Look for new analysis on China and the post-bailout world, mixed
with classic data shows.

Researcher Hans Rosling uses his cool data tools to show how countries
are pulling themselves out of poverty. He demos Dollar Street, comparing
households of varying income levels worldwide. Then he does something
really amazing.

Hans Rosling makes the case for the washing machine. With newly designed
graphics from Gapminder, Rosling shows us the magic that pops up when
economic growth and electricity turn a boring wash day into an
intellectual day of reading.

Tracy's pick is from the renowned paleontologist Jack horner. In a new
approach, he's taking living descendants of the dinosaur (chickens) and
genetically engineering them to reactivate ancestral traits - including
teeth, tails, and even hands - to make a "Chickenosaurus".

Liz Sander's pick is from Jane Goodall who explores the missing link
between humans and apes. The primatologist says the only real difference
between humans and chimps is our sophisticated language. She urges us to
start using it to change the world.

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and
incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this
gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can,
and explains how.

Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would
wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions
-- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An
astonishing story.

Vera's pick is by Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax works with people at the
last stage of life (in hospice and on death row). She shares what she's
learned about compassion in the face of death and dying, and a deep
insight into the nature of empathy.

John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4'x5' plywood board
-- and lets his 4th-graders solve them. He explains how his World Peace
Game engages schoolkids, and why the complex lessons it teaches go
further than classroom lectures can.

Minority Report science adviser and inventor John
Underkoffler demos g-speak -- the real-life version of the film's
eye-popping, tai chi-meets-cyberspace computer interface. Is this how
tomorrow's computers will be controlled?

Sue's pick comes from Hacker and writer Joshua Klein is fascinated by
crows. After a long amateur study of corvid behavior, he's come up with
an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human

Jackie's pick is by Keith Barry who shows us how our brains can fool our
bodies -- in a trick that works via podcast too. Then he involves the
audience in some jaw-dropping (and even a bit dangerous) feats of brain
magic.

In this talk from RSA Animate, Sir Ken Robinson lays out the link
between 3 troubling trends: rising drop-out rates, schools' dwindling
stake in the arts, and ADHD. An important, timely talk for parents and
teachers.

Joe's pick is from Kevin Slavin who argues that we're living in a world
designed for -- and increasingly controlled by -- algorithms. In this
riveting talk from TEDGlobal, he shows how these complex computer
programs determine: espionage tactics, stock prices, movie scripts, and
architecture.

Karolynn's pick is from lauren Zalaznick. Sharing results of a bold
study that tracks attitudes against TV ratings over five decades, she
makes a case that television reflects who we truly are -- in ways we
might not have expected

2012 may be the year of 3D printing, when this three-decade-old
technology finally becomes accessible and even commonplace. Lisa Harouni
gives a useful introduction to this fascinating way of making things.

Tracy's pick is by Nate Silver who has answers to controversial
questions about race in politics. Stats and myths collide in this
fascinating talk that ends with a remarkable insight on how town
planning can promote tolerance

Cookbook author (and geek) Nathan Myhrvold talks about his magisterial
work, "Modernist Cuisine" -- and shares the secret of its cool
photographic illustrations, which show cross-sections of food in the
very act of being cooked.

Jackie's pick is from Philip Zimbardo who shares insights and graphic
unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip
side: how easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge.

Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for
humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab
work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples' thoughts --
and judges their actions.

Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather
than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that
a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we
consider “real” value

Salman Khan shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for
teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script -- give
students video lectures to watch at home, and do "homework" in the
classroom with the teacher available to help.

Emma's funny pick is Seth Godin who explores why are so many things
broken? In a hilarious talk from the 2006 Gel conference, Seth Godin
gives a tour of things poorly designed, the 7 reasons why they are that
way, and how to fix them.

believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In
this fast-moving and entertaining talk picked by Emma, psychologist
Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.

Vera's pick is from Sheena Iyengar who studies how we make choices. She
talks about both trivial choices and profound ones, and shares her
groundbreaking research that has uncovered some surprising attitudes
about our decisions

In keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks
some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How
did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about
answering them.

Economics writer Tim Harford studies complex systems -- and finds a
surprising link among the successful ones: they were built through trial
and error. In this sparkling talk he asks us to embrace our randomness
and start making better mistakes.

Rina's Ted pick is from Neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran who
outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently
discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviors,
etc.

William Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other
diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that
feed a tumor. The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting
foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game.